The Intersectionality of Applied Critical Leadership: Toward Inclusivity in Higher Education

• In Event: The Intersectionality of Applied Critical Leadership: Toward Inclusivity in Higher Education

Abstract

Leslie D. Gonzales and Anne-Marie Nuñez address alternative conceptions of leadership based on the experiences of Latina faculty members, particularly those who serve in Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). They draw on critical-neoinstitutional (CNI) and intersectionality lenses to argue that Latinas, like other women of color, must negotiate intricate personal, cultural, and professional communities that operate according to deeply institutionalized prescriptions of legitimacy. In other words, although some Latino faculty may enter the professoriate to advance the public good, they often face pressure to conform to dominant expectations and norms for faculty research, teaching, and service in the academy that may interfere with community-oriented activities (Gonzalez & Padilla, 2008). The authors subsequently address ways in which ACL provides Latina faculty with a lens to enact more authentic personal, social, and professional identities to respond better to college students with diverse identities, particularly in institutions like HSIs that serve high numbers of low-income, first-generation, and Latino college students.

Authors

• Leslie D. Gonzales, Clemson University

• Anne-Marie Nunez, The University of Texas - San Antonio